photo by: Journal-World Illustration

The Douglas County Commission meets in the historic courtroom on the second floor of the county courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

The Douglas County Commission at its meeting Wednesday will hear updates on several property issues at Lone Star Lake and the efforts to resolve them.

Concerns involve the condition of private docks and accessory buildings at the lake, Assistant County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said.

“The important thing to remember is the county owns the lake and lake shore,” Plinsky said. “There are a number of issues with shoddy private docks built over county right of way. There is no mention of docks in our zoning or building code.”

Plinsky said building permits at the lake are currently considered under the county’s residential zoning guidelines. Plinsky and Sean Reid, county zoning and codes director, will propose the county adopt a Lone Star Lake zoning district with rules and regulations that address its specific needs for such things as docks, accessory buildings and setbacks.

Another issue is property owners are unsure of where their property lines are, because the properties surrounding the lake haven’t been surveyed in a long time, Plinsky said. Douglas County Public Works is currently surveying the properties so that landowners will know their property lines and required setbacks.

County staff is planning to schedule public meetings in May to discuss the issues with Lone Star Lake property owners and users, Plinsky said. Staff would return to the County Commission soon after those meetings.

In other business, Keith Browning, public works director, will request commissioners approve a $425,000 bid from Ebert Construction, of Wamego, to replace a bridge on East 1750 Road just south of Kansas Highway 10. In a memo to commissioners, Browning wrote that the bid was $27,195 more than the engineer’s estimate to replace the 60-year-old bridge, but that he was comfortable with it as the lowest of the six bids received.

The Douglas County Commission meets at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. To view the complete agenda, visit douglascountyks.org.